Thursday, May 11, 2017

Fine Spring day in the Redwoods

I'm traveling north up US 101 on an ancient migratory route.  I've been on this road frequently for 56 years, and of course the Native Americans have moved up and down the coast for millenia.  The redwood forests never cease to be majestic, awesome, and tranquil...a rare and excellent combination, if you think about it.
Looking straight up at a big kahuna tree, near the visitor center in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

The Eel River courses peacefully through the redwoods.  But add a pineapple express, bringing 6 to 12 inches of warm rain in a couple days, and the Eel can easily rise 30 feet in 48 hours, rampaging through the communities along its banks.

A fine trail winds through the giant trees on a bluebird day.

The redwood forest is alive at every level.  Birdsong rings through the canopy, and the forest floor is carpeted with ferns and sorrel.

Sun and shadow make for interesting and complex light.

When a giant tree falls, it becomes a nurse log, a home for forest plants over the next few centuries.  The plants gradually recycle the tree's nutrients.

A fine old redwood base.

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